Wound
by dreisigma
Summary: John spends some time in the mountains.
1. Chapter 1

Wound

It was a dark and stormy night. John traipsed through the forest on his way back to his cabin in the Adirondack Mountains. In the flashes of lightning, he could see bits of the deer trail he was following. He didn't need much more than that since he had navigated these woods for at least forty years. Exploring them had been his favorite pastime as a kid. Back then, he spent whole summers enjoying the outdoors with his father, older brother Mark, and later, by himself. John was a loner and didn't much like people. He did like the girls so that was a problem. Sometimes he would invite a girl from town out to the cabin. But she had to be a special type. The hike from the dirt road took about three hours. The cabin had an Osburn 1100 wood stove, good for up to 1400 square feet that was entirely adequate for its 1000 square foot single room. It was tight, with R-30 insulation on walls and ceiling. John and Mark hauled it in by mule a few years back. A few logs in the stove kept the place nice and toasty all night even in the coldest weather.

Tonight, John was returning from Sabattis a little too late. He started back about six o'clock, but with the storm it was taking longer than he thought it would. He had dinner with a girl and asked her to the cabin, but she wasn't "comfortable" with the idea, he thought bitterly. He paid over $40 for that meal and that was after spending all day with her. Susie was a hiker and enjoyed the outdoors. But he'd only met her a couple weeks ago and he only came into town once a week. She wasn't convinced he wasn't some kind of maniac who preyed on defenseless women. Oh well, he'd try again next time. Now he had to focus on getting back. The flashes showed him the trail but they also shocked his dilated eyes, making him walk slower. The storm was probably a factor in Susie's decision not to come tonight but he had assured her, he was entirely capable of handling any situation. She had even liked his description of the cabin – a bunk bed, wood stove, table and four chairs, and provisions for three months. He even had a library of sorts with books he had collected for forty years. His favorites were pulp fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s such as Argosy, Spider, Shadow, Doc Savage, Adventure, Amazing Stories, Black Mask, Dime Detective, Flying Aces, Horror Stories, Marvel Tales, Oriental Stories, Planet Stories, Spicy Detective, Startling Stories, Thrilling Wonder Stories, Unknown, and Weird Tales. He didn't mind leaving them out here because he'd never heard of a criminal in these parts, and he had a hidden safe that would protect them in case of fire. He had heard of the Million Books bookstore in Dayton Ohio that had burned to the ground along with piles of precious pulp magazines.

He had about an hour to go he figured, from where he was now. Should get him to the cabin by ten o'clock. Of course, that's if nothing else slowed him down. It had been raining on and off the whole hike but his camo slicker was more than up to the task. He was thinking what Susie would look like in some camo sleepwear lingerie. So he didn't see the figure on the ground before he stumbled over it. He hadn't seen anything during the previous flash so after he picked himself up and turned around, he was VERY curious as to what had tripped him. It wasn't moving so that was good. A wounded animal makes for a VERY hostile opponent. It was large and looked about 75 kilos from where he was standing. He pulled out his tiny, three-AAA, LED flashlight and cautiously approached the figure. As he turned the light on its head, he distinguished facial features.


	2. Chapter 2

Chap 2

A voice gasped and exclaimed "John, it's human!"

"What?" John exclaimed as he about jumped out of his skin. He didn't know where to focus his attention, on the body or the voice. "Who's there?" he shouted as he shined the light in the direction of the voice.

"Just little ole me," said Susie as she walked into the light.

"What are you doing out here? You said you didn't want to go."

"I just wanted to check you out mister," she said playfully. "Now you've gone and killed someone I see."

"I didn't …" he started to defend himself but realized she was joking. It bothered him that she had followed him for two hours and he didn't even have a clue. He had been all worked up that she wouldn't come, he had been oblivious to someone following him. It could have been fatal if a big cat had been stalking him. He made a personal note to be more careful and observant in the future.

"It is human," John responded quietly and felt for a pulse. "No pulse, so that rules out the need for medical care. Wouldn't be easy to get a doctor out here, two hours into the wilderness."

Susie was stunned, but not paralyzed with fright. Not every day you find a body in the dark.

"You doin' OK?" John asked with concern.

"Sure," she responded with strength in her voice. "I'm on the Sabattis Search and Rescue."

_Cool_, thought John, _she's my kind of special_.

"Not the first time I've pulled a body out of the woods," she continued. "Give me the light and let me have a look at him. I want to see if what killed him is obvious."

Susie took the light and went over the body inch by inch, looking for external signs of trauma. He was face down with one side of his face to the ground. Following her Search and Rescue training to observe, she noted the basics as she looked for a cause of death. "Dark man, probably Arabic by my guess," she tabulated out loud. "Looks like six foot, heavy set, maybe 250 pounds. He's not dressed for wilderness hiking. Shorts and tennis shoes aren't enough even in the summer. No shirt but nothing looks out of the ordinary. Here, give me hand and help me turn him over."

John grabbed a leg while Susie grabbed an arm and together they muscled him over on his back. They saw it at the same time. The light revealed four thin wires leading from an ugly wound below his left ribcage. Each wire had a different color insulation and led to a small box clipped to his shorts. The box had a tiny red light blinking about once a second.

"I know enough about electronics to know that's a transmitter," explained John. "It didn't kill him. It's just a monitor. The short black wire out of the bottom of the box was transmitting information. Could still be transmitting. Like a wireless microphone."

"Well, whoever did this to him is probably looking for him," Susie said with concern. "We should get out of here and call the authorities."

"We're too far in to get back out tonight," calculated John. "We should go on to the cabin and deal with it in the morning."

"What about the body?" asked Susie. "The wolves will eat it."

"It's too heavy for us to get it very far without a litter, so I suggest we protect it as best we can and leave it at that," John stated. They spent 20 minutes in silence looking for large rocks and piling them on the body like a large cairn.

"Looks good to me," John said with fatigue in his voice. "Let's head out. Still an hour to go."


	3. Chapter 3

Chap 3

They got back on the trail, initially with Jon up front with the light. He was going slower now and Susie moved up beside him. She took his right hand in her left, carefully intertwining her fingers in his as she did so. He didn't pull away but did slow even further and turned his head toward her. Not missing a step, she stared straight ahead and started talking quietly.

"Don't want you to think I'm easy, but I'm not shy either. Got four brothers so I pretty much seen it all when I was growing up," she said matter of factly.

Feeling more comfortable with her hand comfortable in his hand, John started moving a little faster and looking for the trail.

"If you're any kind of guy," she continued "you're feeling pretty good right now. Am I right?"

"Sure," he managed to get out. He wasn't used to this kind of openness on the part of a woman, but he liked it.

"So to skip all the rigmarole, I'm just gonna say it like I think it," she said with conviction yet tenderness. "You're welcome to do the same. You didn't know it, but I been watchin' you in town and I think you're fine. Girl's gotta be careful you know." She was smiling in the dark but she wanted to let him know. "By the way, I'm smiling."

At that, he couldn't stand it any longer so he stopped, turned, and pulled her to him. His mouth found hers and she responded hungrily.

"Well, that's more like it," she said after they separated after a minute. "Now we can relax with each other," she said as she took his hand again and started walking again. "Just so you know, I don't have intercourse on the first date. Just sayin'."

"Boy you do say it like you think it," John said slowly, not sure what to make of it.

"Like I said, you do the same and we'll get along fine," Susie declared.

"Well, OK," John said carefully, not sure about this but enjoying it. "I kinda thought girls didn't like what guys was thinkin' about."

"Hey, like I said – brothers," she explained. "Once we figured out we was different, we talked about it. A lot. They told me what they was thinkin' and I told them. All in all, a nice time of self discovery. No one got hurt and I didn't get knocked up. We talked enough that no one got hurt feelings. And mamma told me all the girl stuff so I wasn't gonna let anything get up inside me. Mamma didn't know, I was smart, and my brothers were considerate, so we just discovered each other. So that's it. I probably know more about your body than you know about mine."

"Wow, I'm impressed," said John, walking a little funny trying to shift his rising member.


	4. Chapter 4

Chap 4

The remainder of the hike to the cabin was punctuated by brief conversation and distant lightning. Both were intent on making the cabin by 2300 hours and both had things on their minds other than casual conversation – the body being foremost. Who and why were at the top of the list but with few answers forthcoming.

The cabin finally loomed up ahead, lit eerily by lightning flashes. The building was of rustic construction but very good quality. There were no windows that from an aesthetic position seemed odd but from a practical position was almost essential for upstate New York winter conditions. John walked up to the door and found the lock in the dark. He had chosen a lock with a code that could be thumbed open without a light. It was well oiled and didn't make a sound when opened even though it had been over a month since he had used it. The lock was mainly for the rare transient since hikers were uncommon and thieves even more unusual. Theft was much more profitable in a city where there were more things and a way to sell them.

The door swung inward since a heavy snow during the night could block the door. John walked to the table in the middle of the room and lit the Coleman lantern that instantly filled the room with a "warm" light. About thirty feet on a side, the room was small but efficiently arranged. The kitchen was on the left as one walked in. The king size bed was on the opposite wall and the woodstove on the right. Wood was already in the stove so he lit that and draped his jacket over the back of one of two chairs at the table. The floor was a clean linoleum with a large throw-rug under the table. The ceiling was log suspension but well insulated.

"Where's the bathroom?" Susie noticed.

"All the comforts of home," John reassured. He pointed out a door to the right of the bed she had overlooked in the darkness. "A running stream nearby provides water for the shower and flushing toilet. The water is pre-heated with solar collectors."

"Pretty fancy," Susie complimented.

"Why don't you go first," John offered.

"I wouldn't think of it," Susie shot back. "Why don't we go together?" she said suggestively. She had already removed her shirt, laid it on the table, and was undoing her bra from the front as she walked to the bathroom door.

"OK," John said hesitantly but warming to the idea in more ways than one. His member was standing at full attention by the time he got undressed and into the shower. She had the water running and was holding a bar of soap. Water was flowing from an ultra-efficient shower head and heated near the shower with a high-efficiency propane unit.

"Here, soap me down," she said as she handed him the bar of soap. "Then I'll do you. We can try to get some sleep but I think a good orgasm would do both of us good to get our minds off the events of the evening." Her body was exquisite and he did as she requested, lingering on the more sensitive parts of her body. It wasn't long before she was moaning softly, directing his fingers to the best places. Just before she came, she reached out, cradling his manhood in her left hand and gently stroking his member with her right. It was too much to resist. Between the shock of her touch and the sight and feel of her body, he quickly released while her wracking spasms also came to a conclusion. Tightly embracing, they held each other for a couple minutes more before turning off the shower.

"Wow, I haven't felt that good in a long time," John remarked.

"Ditto," she commented, dried off, and headed out to the bed.

Standing alone, somewhat amazed, he wasn't about to mention she had said she would "do him." So he soaped himself down and rinsed off after turning the water back on for a few minutes. By the time he dried off, he was wondering what he should wear to bed. But he noticed she hadn't put her clothes back on, so he just slipped under the covers and noticed she was already asleep. She "barely" moved as he snuggled up to her warm body.


	5. Chapter 5

Chap 5

When he awoke in the morning, the sun was up and so was Susie. She was cooking some oatmeal and coffee on the propane stove.

"Good morning Sunshine," he remarked cheerfully. As he stood up to put his clothes on, he noticed she continued facing the stove.

"Good morning yourself. It's already 0630," she remonstrated.

"I didn't know you'd be up with the sun or I would have set the alarm. What's cooking?" he asked.

"I found some oatmeal. I want to have a good breakfast before we go traipsing back to the body," Susie said seriously.

"I suppose you can't get it out of your mind," he said.

"I would have been up all night if it wasn't for you know what," she said mischieveously.

She took the oatmeal off the stove, filled a couple large bowls to near overflowing, and set them on the table along with some powdered milk and brown sugar. She then poured a couple mugs of coffee from the pot and set them on the table.

"Sugar or creamer?" she asked.

"No, just black for me," he replied. "I believe there's no point in drinking coffee if it's not all coffee."

"Same for me," she said and they sat down to breakfast.

The oatmeal was wet, not thick, so the powdered milk mixed in easily. They both spooned some brown sugar on top and started in hungrily.

"You know oatmeal's very good to eat," she commented. "It lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease. It reduces the risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer. It's all natural and has a lot of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and is a good source of protein, complex carbohydrates, and iron," she recited with passion.

"Wow, you sound like a commercial," he said smiling at her.

"It's one commercial I really believe. Can we get out of here in a few minutes?"

"What's the hurry. We've got all day," he said cautiously.

"I have a bad feeling about what happened out there last night, that's all," she said reflectively.

"Well, give me ten minutes to take care of business and I'll be ready to go," he said as he headed to the bathroom.

Susie cleaned up the bowls and cups and was also ready to go in ten minutes. As they headed out the door, they didn't notice the figure furtively watching them from the treeline. John and his dad and brother had spent considerable time preparing and maintaining the fire defensible space 100 feet around the house.


	6. Chapter 6

Chap 6

They made it back to the place where they found the body by 8:00.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Susie asked quizzically.

"Damn sure," John responded with a firmness that even surprised himself. "I stacked a few rocks in a cairn by that tree," he said, pointing to a two inch oak by the trail. "Oak is out of place in these woods, so I picked it to stand out. Look, the rocks are scattered around here."

Sure enough, they were the same rocks he had stacked.

"But no trace of the body," he added quietly as he probed the ground for any evidence a dead body had laid there a few hours ago.

After a few minutes, John stood up and faced Susie, holding her upper arms in his hands and looking into her eyes.

"Believe it or not, I have a Gift. When I touched the body last night, I could see the route he had run through the forest."

She pulled away from him, her eyes squinting in disbelief and distrust. "John," she said slowly, "I'm thinking 'maniac' here."

"No, really, you don't have to believe me, I'll show you," he stated with confidence.

"Hey, I'm thinking this is something you concocted so you can take me out in the woods and cut me into little pieces, never to be seen again," she said rapidly with a tremor in her voice.

"No, just think about it, I would have done you last night if things were like that," he replied tenderly, reaching out with one hand.

"OK," she again said slowly as the concept worked through her initial surprise at the revelation.

She raised her hand and held his. They drew close and kissed warmly for a few minutes.

"I'll tell you later about the Gift. Let's get started tracking."

The furtive figure had followed them at a distance but was still not within hearing range. He saw them headed the same direction the dead man had come. "Foxtrot Zulu to base, Foxtrot Zulu to base," he spoke softly into his Kenwood PK 20. _Base here, go ahead Foxtrot Zulu_ he heard in response with the volume turned so low he could barely hear it. "Targets proceeding toward base, repeat, targets proceeding toward base," he whispered. "How the fuck they know which direction to go? Advise response." _Stay on their tail and don't show yourself. Base out._


	7. Chapter 7

Chap 7

Over the next hour, John gave Susie the low-down on his Gift. From skating accident to car accident and a few highlights of all the people he had helped. How he had grown so weary of the publicity, the needy people, and those who wanted to protect their secrets. How he had finally retreated to this place to decide what to do with the rest of his life. He was torn between the philosophy of being a good steward of the Gift and enjoying life. She was moving from disbelief and wariness to resigned amazement. After an hour of mostly one-sided conversation, he gradually grew quieter and came very close to her as they walked through the forest.

"Keep walking and act normal," he said carefully. "I've been thinking whoever took the body might be keeping tabs on us. We're going to stop up here and I'm going to say I need to pee. I think if someone is following us, he will watch you and wait for me to come back. I'll circle around when I'm out of sight and see if there's anyone following."

They stopped in a small clearing after another few meters. John kept walking, turned his head, and announced with a little extra volume "Be right back, gotta pee."

He made some noise for several meters then dropped into a crouch and started making a wide arc around the direction they came from. He had known the terrian from a youth. He left his hiking gear with Susie so he wouldn't make any noise. Wind was 5-10 knots so the noise he did make was masked by the rustling trees and bushes. His clothes were forest cammo. Finally, there were plenty of large rocks in the area that aided concealment. He moved quickly before anyone following might get suspicious.

Mr Furtive didn't have a chance. John might have well as been a stalking mountain lion. He had his back to a rock with a line-of-sight on Susie – who with ingenious forethought had been removing layers of clothing in the warming morning temperatures. She was down to her bra and short-shorts and the perp was practically drooling. Next thing she heard was a quick scuffle and ran over to see if John needed any help.

John had his arm securely around the man's neck who wasn't making a sound. He didn't seem to have a gun and the radio was still on his belt.

"Take off his belt and secure his hands," John directed as Susie came into sight.


End file.
